You Are Not Alone
by QuaintDeath
Summary: Dave has spent a little too much time around the Time Vortex, and the Doctor can feel it. (I didn t write this seriously at first, but don t worry, it gets better down the road.)
1. Chapter 1

"What are you doing?" Rose asked for the umpteenth time. For the past half-hour, the Doctor had been constantly running tests; scanning his brain one minute, doing a full body cat-scan the next, all the while not saying a word. To be perfectly honest, it scarred Rose a little. Ever since he`d regenerated, he`d been nothing but a chatter box, talking nonstop.

"Hm? Oh sorry. Trying to locate someone."

"By… scanning your brain?" Though slightly perplexed, Rose was relieved the Doctor was talking again. She`d thought something was wrong.

The Doctor paused momentarily, trying to find the right words to explain the situation. "You see, Rose," the Doctor started, "Time Lords can… _feel_ one another. In their minds. And, well, it`s been a while, so I`m trying to make sure what I`m feeling is right.

This shocked Rose more than she thought possible. "Wait, there`s another Time Lord?"

"Apparently, would you like to go meet him? Or her, I suppose it could be a she. Strange, everyone seems to associate an unknown gender with either `it` or `he`. Why do you think that is?

"What? Why didn`t you say something? We _have_ to meet him Doctor. How can you be so calm about this? She was beyond confused as to why the Doctor took such an impossible lucky situation so lightly.

"See? You said _him_! I wonder if anyone has ever done a test on this; seems an unlikely topic, but then again, Humans see to research everything. Did you know Hitler had human sperm injected into a monkey to try and find the missing link? Hitler was a great chap before his mother traumatized him. Now _that_ bloke could play poker."

After the Doctor ranted for a few more minutes, Rose slapped him. "Oi! What was _that_ for?"

"Stop blabbering and take us to the other Time Lord. _Now._"

"Alright, alright. No need to get so bloody mad." Walking up to the console, he grabbed a switch and paused and looked slightly uncomfortable.

"What the matter, Doctor?"

"Well, the thing is… I don`t actually know where he is, or even _when_ for that matter, which is… weird."

"Ladies and gentlemen, The Oncoming Storm." Rose muttered.

"Oi! It`s not my fault!" I haven`t felt anyone else in my head for quite some time. I can`t just- never mind, I have a time and a place." He started pulling levers and pushing buttons in an order that Rose could swear had absolutely no rhyme or reason.

"Just like that? You got where we need to go?"

"Yep."

God, Rose loved that man.


	2. Chapter 2

After landing, the Doctor still hadn`t really shown any excitement like Rose would expect. She would have thought learning he wasn`t the last of his kind would make the Doctor ecstatic or nervous, but he just walked along like it was any other day.

Stepping out of the TARDIS, the Doctor stood stock still, with a faraway look on his face.

"What is it Doctor?" Rose asked. She thought it may have started to sink that he wasn`t alone, but he didn`t seem happy or fearful, but as if he were listening for something.

"Well, we`re in a fixed point in time and space." He said, still appearing distant.

"So… do we have to leave, then?"

"No, it means we _can`t _leave. We`re part of events now; a set event. Something important is going to happen, something that affects the entire universe."

"What`s the date?"

"The Doctor, now looking directly at her, had a huge grin spread across his face. April 13th, 2016. Want to guess where, or do you want me to just tell you?" The Doctor didn`t give her options often. Sending her away when in danger, pulling her along where- and whenever he wanted to go. He knew she`d appreciate the gesture.

"Well," she said, pointing behind him, "that sign up there may give it away."

Turning around, the Doctor saw a message sprawled across an enormous billboard the said "Go Texas Longhorns!"

"Well that`s not _fair_." The Doctor whined. And he really loved guessing game too.

"So," Rose said, determined to get this show on the road. "how far are we from this other Time Lord?"

"Well," the Doctor said, once again looking uncomfortable. "we _are_ in the right time. And we`re in the right general area. But I`m not exactly sure of his exact location." The Doctor instantly brightened up. "See? I said _him_. We should go talk to a psychologist. They might know why people think like that. I was never a fan of how people thought in school. I just sort of learned it on my own. Do you know anyone in Texas, Rose? They might be able to suggest to us a doctor. You know, a _licensed _one." The Doctor said, expelling "licensed" with obvious distaste.

"Great." Rose said, ignoring the Doctors questioning. "So we have no idea where we`re going, and we can`t not go where we`re going where we`re going. Anymore bad news? Maybe the city`s infested with aliens? Zombie apocalypse about to start?"

"Don`t worry, I`ll know a Time Lord when I see one, and we can`t just not do what we`ll do. Not in a fixed point, anyway. In the meantime, let's enjoy ourselves.

"Fine." Rose said, "sorry."

Walking where ever their feet would take them, they walked past dozens of hipster-filled coffee shops and stereotypically- infested donut shops filled with policemen. Finally, after working up quite an appetite walking, they settled on having McDonalds for lunch.

Walking straight up to the counter (they were the only customers), Rose asked, "Excuse me, Sir? Do you sell fish in America? I`ve heard you don`t, but I want to know for sure."

"What?" The boy running the register could be no more that fifteen. He seemed to be the type of person that had to have everything explained to him in great detail. Twice.

"Don`t bother." Said the Doctor, "They don`t exactly have the highest test scores in America. Besides, they only sell burgers and salads. The United States don`t get any multi-cultural foods until 2022, and even then it`s all food from off-world. America`s very stubborn."

"What?" The cashier said again. He had perked up when the Doctor said "burgers and salads", seeming to recognized the key terms required in the fast food business, but got a fearful look when the Doctor mentioned numbers.

"We`ll take two number fours, please." said the Doctor, talking as if he would with a toddler.

With a look of concentration, the cashier slowly pressed the necessary buttons needed to make the transaction. After printing up the receipt, he said "$9.23"

Rose, having the Doctor look expectantly at her, pulled her friend to the side. "Doctor, you wouldn`t happen to have any cash on you, would you?"

"What? You know I don`t carry money. Why can`t you pay for it?"

"I don`t have anything that`s used in America, it`s all British."

"Uh, excuse me, but I, I couldn't help but overhear, and I, um, could lend you some money if you, if you need it."

Surprised, the travelers turned to see that someone had gotten in line behind them.

The person who had offered his help seemed… off, to Rose. Sitting in a wheel chair was a tall, lanky- looking boy who seemed surprisingly pale to be living in Texas. He wore a black, long- sleeved shirt with one of the zodiac signs of which Rose couldn`t remember the name of in orange. He had on black slacks, vest, and sandals. Looking closely, Rose could almost see something hanging over him. Something big she somehow missed.

Disregarding the feeling something was wrong, Rose said, "Yes, thank you. I`m Rose, by the way. And this, is the Doctor.

"Hi," he said, someone warily." I`m Tavros." He handed her a ten-dollar bill and said nothing else.

After paying and receiving their food, Rose went to sit down at the nearest table. The Doctor, however had other plans.

"Not here." He whispered, grabbing and dragging her by the arm around to a corner seat.

Rose couldn`t help but notice how secluded it was. There were no cameras pointing directing at them, and the cashier would have to bend at an awkward angle to see them.

"What`s going on, Doctor?" she asked.

"You`ll see. The Doctor said with a knowing smirk on his face. "Tavros?" The Doctor called out, once the boy in question finished ordering. "Why don`t you come and join us?"

Surprised, but not unhappy to make new friends, Tavros rolled over and joined them. "H-hello." He said, stuttering as always.

Once Tavros was out of view of the cashier, he took out his sonic screwdriver. The Doctor pointed it at the boy and said, "Shimmer."

What was once a pale, lanky boy in a wheelchair was now a pale, lanky, alien boy. Rose could now successfully look at the objects on his head, which turned out to be a massive pair of horns. His legs had gone from inanimate dead weight to bulky robotic limbs. His skin had gone from an extreme pale, almost white, to a light grey. His eyes had turned from a hazel to a rustic orange, and were now easily visible due to his surprise and fear.

"Well," the Doctor said, suddenly surprised, "you aren`t the species I thought you`d be."

Tavros, recovering from his shock, quickly stood, his wheelchair disappearing behind him. He put his arms out in front of him as if to protect him, letting Rose and the Doctor see that he was wearing two rings. One: solid gold all the way around. The other was silver, with a broken diamond sitting in the middle.

"Oh." The Doctor said, focusing on his fingers. "Tavros, I am so, so sorry."

Tavros instantly started concentrating as hard as he could, and disappeared into a blue gas, which faded away before their eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

"Doctor? What species was he? And why were you so sorry about his rings?" Rose asked, curious as to why anyone would openly wear and display a broken diamond.

The Doctor was silent for a moment. "I thought they were extinct." He said after a while. "That`s why I didn`t recognize him. I`ve never seen any depictions, and myths can only go so far. If the legends are true, his race is even greater than mine."

Rose was astonished. Never before had the Doctor given any species more credibility than the Time Lords. She was curious as to what could be so great as even the Doctor seemed to treat them with respect. "What was the legend?"

"The legend," he began, "told of twelve warriors, of Time, Breath, Doom, Blood, Heart, Space, Mind, Light, Void, Rage, Hope, and Life. It is said that they slayed the ultimate foes, an evil King and Queen that knew no mercy, and through doing so, they created the universe.

"After doing so, those twelve Heroes went to claim the Universe as their prize, but an omnipotent being destroyed their gateway and they went into hiding, cowering on an empty meteor on the furthest veil, where time and space cease to act reliably. It`s said that they hide there to this very day.

"Did you see his eyes, Rose? The colour of rust. That was Tavros Nitram, one of the most important being in the universe, and he just bought lunch." The Doctor finished, an enormous grin on his face.

"What about his rings?" Rose asked, curious.

The Doctor`s smile slowly faded. "The gold ring is known as `The Ring of Life`. The wearer of said ring is resurrected from the dead and becomes immortal. The only way to take it off another, and put it on yourself, is to take the life of the being you love most. If the legends are true, Tavros must have heavy guilt on his conscience.

Rose was shocked. "So he killed the person he loved more than anybody else? Just to live longer?"

"Not necessarily, she could have been on her death bed and given her life to him. Or Tavros could have been on his, and she forced him to take it."

"What about the other ring? The one with a split diamond in it?"

"Trolls, his species, are born with a mental link, connecting them to another of their kind. They refer to the one their linked with as `Moirals`. They are, quite literally, soul mates. One one`s happy, so is the other. When one feels pain, so does the other. They look out for each other and provide support.

"That broken diamond signifies the death of their other half. It`s how I recognized him as who he was; trolls are the only species to have such a relationship."

Rose was horrified. Never could she imagine what Tavros was feeling, and never could she be sorry enough.

"Can we speak with him again?" Rose asked. She wanted to let Tavros know she was sorry, and that she would do anything she could to help.

"I doubt it." The Doctor answered. "He did some `windy thing` and now he could be anywhere."

"He`s just so young." Rose said, commenting on Tavros` looks.

"Look can be deceiving." He replied.

They were silent for a moment, until Rose asked, "Do you think he has anything to do with this being a fixed point in time and space?"

Blinking in surprise, the Doctor answered. "Well, the last of the two most intelligent and powerful species are in the same city, at the same time; so yeah, I`d guess so. I could see his Time Line, Rose. Millions upon millions of alternate universes has been formed around him, and they were made in the span of three years. And in each and every one of those instances, reality itself was destroyed and withered into nothing."

After a moment, Rose asked, "Could there be more Trolls, Doctor?"

"Well, it`s very unlikely there are any others. We know at least one is dead, due to his rings, and I doubt they could all have lived fleeing from an omnipotent being."

After that, the Doctor stopped talking, and had a worried look on his face.

"Are you okay?" Rose asked.

Snapping out of it, the Doctor said, "Hm? Yes, fine. Tavros just reminds me of somebody." Getting up, he continued, "Come on Rose, I`ve got a fellow Gallifreyen to find!"

He started walking out the door, Rose following close behind, until he suddenly stopped.

"What`s wrong?" Rose asked.

"We forgot to eat."


End file.
